There is the magnificent construction site for the restoration of Notre-Dame. And then there is the money that financed it. A total amount of 843 million euros, also exceptional. Less than a month before the reopening of the cathedral, on December 7, the Notre-Dame Foundation unveils, Monday, November 18, the figures for its collection that The Cross publishes exclusively. It is one of four organizations to have been authorized to receive funds during the national subscription launched after the fire of April 2019, with the Heritage Foundation, the Fondation de France and the Center des monuments nationaux.
Individuals donated on average €236
In total, the Notre-Dame Foundation collected 358 million euros, or 43% of the amount recovered by subscription, from 62,000 donors, making it the leading financier of this large-scale restoration. «This is an unprecedented national and international mobilization. If 90% of donors who have passed through the Notre-Dame Foundation are French, 104 countries are represented and three-quarters of foreign donors are American. », underlines Sylvie Bretones, the general delegate of this structure.
Note that, of this sum, 200 million euros were contributed by Bernard Arnault, the founding president of LVMH, and 100 million by François Pinault, the founder of Kering, another luxury giant. For individuals, the average donation amount is €236.
A change of dimension
Created in 1992 on the initiative of Mgr Lustiger, and recognized as being of public utility, the Notre-Dame Foundation obviously changed dimensions after the fire in the cathedral. In 2018, it collected 26 million euros, compared to 34 million in 2023. Since then, it has modernized and diversified its collection tools, particularly with digital technology, through which a third of donations now pass.
«The tragedy of the fire gave us more visibility, and also led us to develop, particularly in terms of financial engineering and collection. But our ambition has not changed. We remain committed to growing hope», affirms the general delegate. A third of the workforce is made up of volunteers, “all ready to continue and all super motivated», assures Sylvie Bretones.
The Foundation indeed supports numerous causes, notably in the fight against exclusion, with help for the homeless and families in distress, food support, but also professional integration and even organization holiday camps for disadvantaged children. It also finances the preservation of Christian heritage, such as crosses, chapels and calvaries which are dormant in the countryside and has launched a program to restore Parisian churches.
Continue to restore the cathedral
At Notre-Dame, work will continue after reopening. Because not all the money collected was spent in the phases of securing and restoring the building. Of the 843 million euros, 140 million remain (including 64 million provided by the Notre-Dame Foundation) which will be used to carry out work on the exterior parts which have suffered damage over time. In particular, this will involve consolidating the bedside and the flying buttresses. These sums come from major patrons, such as François Pinault and Bernard Arnault, who have given their agreement for this use. The project is expected to last between 2025 and 2028.
In parallel with the national subscription, from 2021, the Foundation has also launched a specific collection for interior fittings of heritage or cultural interest, the financing of which is the responsibility of the diocese of Paris, recipient, and which is not therefore not covered by national subscription. She thus collected an additional 7 million euros. These donations are intended for liturgical furniture, the reliquary of the crown of thorns, but also for the installation of sound, light and video transmission devices.
